Carl Locher (21 November 1851 – 20 December 1915) was a Danish realist painter who from an early age became a member of the Skagen group of painters.

Biography

Carl Ludvig Thilson Locher was born in Flensburg in the Duchy of Schleswig which was then part of Denmark. From an early age he took an interest in ships and received his first training from his father who painted ship portraits for a living. After the father died, he continued his business for a short while and went on several voyages with ships of the

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). O ...

. Struck by the grandeur of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, a voyage to the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies ( da, Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with ; Saint John ( da, St. Jan) with ; and Saint Croix with . The ...

made a particular impression on him. Even before he began his studies at the

Royal Danish Academy of Art The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

in 1872, he was encouraged by

Holger Drachmann Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (9 October 1846 – 14 January 1908) was a Danish poet, dramatist and painter. He was a member of the Skagen artistic colony and became a figure of the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough Movement. Early yea ...

to spend a couple of months in Skagen, the artists colony in the far north of

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

. He quickly completed paintings of the beach, some with fishing boats or wrecks. He also became interested in the

horse-drawn carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

which travelled along the beach on its journey from Frederikshavn. In the 1870s, Locher continued his studies in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

where he trained at the studio of

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in M ...

1875-76, 1878-79. He visited Skagen whenever he was back in Denmark. Ultimately he had a house built there where he lived until his death. As an etcher Locher was regarded among the best and most productive of the Danish artists; From 1885 he made a number of smaller and larger prints, with a lot of picturesque energy. In 1892, he devoted most of his time to the art of etching, and travelled - with support from the Danish state - to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, where he became a student of the excellent copper etching artist professor Hans Meyer (1846-1910) at the

Berlin University of the Arts The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universit ...

(''Hochschule der Künste Berlin''). A complete collection of his prints can be found at

Skagens Museum Skagens Museum is an art museum in Skagen, Denmark, that exhibits an extensive collection of works by members of the colony of Skagen Painters who lived and worked in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Important artists include ...

. Supported by the State, he opened an etching school for Danish artists in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, where he taught until 1900. Skagen painters such as

Anna Ancher Anna Ancher (18 August 1859 – 15 April 1935) was a Danish artist associated with the Skagen Painters, an artist colony on the northern point of Jylland, Denmark. She is considered to be one of Denmark's greatest visual artists. Background An ...

and

Michael Ancher Michael Peter Ancher (9 June 1849 – 19 September 1927) was a Danish realist artist, and widely known for his paintings of fishermen, the lakes, and other scenes from the Danish fishing community in Skagen. Early life and education Michael ...

and P.S. Krøyer attended the school.

Selected paintings

File:CARL LOCHER21.JPG, ''Stage Coach Heading for Skagen'' File:Skagen South Beach. October after sunset (Carl Locher).jpg, ''South Beach After Sunset'' File:Carl Locher - The lightship at Skagen Reef - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Lightship at Skagen Reef'' File:Carl Locher - Fishing cutters in the moonlit night - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Fishing Cutters in the Moonlight'' File:Carl locher-85.jpg, ''Storm off Højen'' File:Carl Locher - Talrige sejlskibe på havet.jpg, ''Sailing Ships at Sea'' File:Carl Locher ageposten-udsnit.jpg, ''Mail Coach on the Beach'' File:Carl Locher1.jpg, ''Fishermen Coming Ashore'' File:Carl locher skagen september 1913.jpg, ''Skagen Beach'' File:Locher3.jpg, ''Hornbaek Beach''

References

Literature

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Locher, Carl Danish marine artists 1851 births 1915 deaths Modern painters 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 20th-century Danish painters Skagen Painters Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists

Biography

Selected paintings

See also

References

Literature

External links